


Delicate

by Jicklet



Category: The Royal Romance (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Love Confessions, Making Out, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26504662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jicklet/pseuds/Jicklet
Summary: The morning after camping, Riley wakes up in Maxwell's tent and... some explanations are in order.
Relationships: Maxwell Beaumont/Main Character (The Royal Romance)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 44





	Delicate

**Author's Note:**

> (Book 2 Chapter 10) Post-camping diamond scene.
> 
> I was looking back through my WIP folder and this was 99% finished?? Oops. I miss these two. 
> 
> So I wrote everything in Secrets with the goal of being more or less canon compliant, but like... the potential in the camp scene!
> 
> Take it away, Riley.

It's warm. She's floating in that space between waking and dreaming. Something warm and soft is there underneath her arm, and she wants to find out more. Her arm begins drifting slowly, finding pecs and abs.

 _Well._ It's been so long since she had a decent dream like this. She just wants to explore.

Her arm floats, fingers dragging, finding muscle after muscle and tracing lazy patterns across the planes. She finds light hair and swirls her fingers through it, starts to follow it down—

Something grabs her. “ _Riley.”_

The voice is familiar, the hoarse quality is not.

She snaps awake. _Oh_. Not a dream.

She's staring into the red, surprised face of Maxwell Beaumont. Sleep fog retreating rapidly, her eyes dart around the tent, the events of the previous night and just how she got here coming back to her in a rush.

She looks down at her hand, splayed out across his stomach, his firm grip having stopped its dangerous descent.

_uhhhhhh_

Her mouth goes dry, her face red. “Oh,” she says eloquently.

_So. You’ve just been caught feeling up one of your best friends in your sleep. The one you've been trying to deny you've been lusting after for months. What do you do next, Riley Brooks?_

She looks back at his face to see that the shock is wearing off; he opens his mouth, about to say something—

And she can't hear it. He's about to play it off, make some joke, move them back to an awkward normal, and she can't take that. This is exactly what she's been afraid of.

If she's ruined this, she's going all the way in.

She surges forward and kisses him, hand lifting off his belly to alight on his chest. He makes a muffled noise of shock.

Then he moves—but it’s not to shove her off. He's kissing her back, tentative but building in intensity, arm coming up to wrap around her shoulders.

She can't look him in the face, afraid it'll break whatever spell has come over him to have him forget—who they are, where they are; the person she’s _supposed_ to be kissing—so she shifts down to trail kisses along his jaw, his neck. He lets his head fall back with a sigh.

“ _Riley…”_

 _“Shhh,”_ she whispers back. She moves back up to his mouth, intending to kiss him quiet— but she just can't help herself; she looks him in the eye.

His expression is confused but … _hopeful_. Her heart sings.

She lays a singular gentle kiss on his lips, pulling back slowly — and he chases her, closing the distance. She smiles against his lips.

She tugs at his arm; he takes the hint and shifts his upper half on top of her. Both her hands are free, and she uses that to full advantage. One arm wraps around his strong back, the other reaches up to tangle in his hair.

His lips move to her neck; she gasps and fists her hand in his hair. He grunts into her neck. “Ah! Hey.”

“Too much?”

“I didn't say that,” he looks up, meeting her eyes with a sly grin that makes her insides swoop. Utterly thrilled, she makes a mental note with a star next to it in her list of _Things About Maxwell Beaumont._

Her heart is beating a million miles a minute, and all they’re doing is making out. This is nuts. She is going to die and if her last act on earth will be kissing the sense out of Maxwell, it will have been worth it.

“Riley…” He's back to planting kisses along her neck, drifting slowly lower and then quickly back up, occasionally getting his tongue in on the game. He hasn’t made any attempts to dip below her clothes and she's losing her mind. He nips at her collarbone and she whines needily. “Riley, what are we doing?”

“Who can say?” she returns wildly. _“Don't stop.”_

He groans, face buried in the crook of her neck, breathing deep. Then, with one last lingering kiss to her lips, he pulls himself fully off her. “I hate myself for saying this but… we should, talk, a little.”

The last thing she wants to do right now is remember how to be responsible… but she knows he's right. “Yeah.” She takes deep breaths, trying to calm her heart.

“What's,” he tears his gaze from her lips, running a hand through his ruffled hair. “What's going on here?”

Buying time, she glances around restlessly. Suddenly, she’s incredibly aware that they are about 10 feet away from all their friends, with only thin fabric walls granting them the illusion of privacy. Oh god, were they loud? She tries to remember, icy panic growing inside her. This was _not_ the way she wanted Liam to—

“Hey, hey.” Maxwell’s hand is on her shoulder, startling her out of her spiral, and she realizes it all must have shown on her face. Some noble in training she is. “It’s ok, we don’t have to—”

“No! No, sorry.” He thinks she’s freaking out about what to say, when that isn’t it at all. Now that it’s down to it, she just wants to rip the bandaid off.

Not here though. “Can we—” she jerks her head towards the tent flap— “go for a walk?”

He nods her way. “M’lady.”

(In spite of everything, her stomach still flutters to hear that.)

They’re outside and heading towards the trail when they hear the sound of a tent zipper behind them.

She grabs Maxwell’s hand and makes a break for it. _“Run!”_

She isn’t sure who starts laughing first, but before long it's too much for them to keep going. She wheezes, bent over. _“Hhhh_ my god.”

“Missing our morning runs?” He’s grinning at her, the punk.

“Oh shut up,” she gasps, trying to glare and failing miserably. “I hate them and I hate you.”

“Do you?” He asks. He’s still smiling, but there’s a seriousness beneath.

She straightens up, looking at him full on. “...No. ” The rising sun catches in his hair and she feels the ghost of a paintbrush in her hand. She flutters her fingers, shaking off the feeling. “Of course not. I… Maxwell, I care about you."

He blinks at her. “...oh?”

“More than I should.” He’s still only blinking, so she clarifies, a little impatiently, “as… more than a friend.”

“You… what?” She nods, gaze steady. “… _Really?”_

“Well, yeah?” She laughs, a little confused. “Why are you surprised? I basically just _jumped you_ , in your tent. Which was not at all the plan, by the way!” she rushes to assure him, hands flailing. “Can I apologize? That wasn't how that was, supposed to— I just didn’t want to be alone last night, and then this morning I, well I _forgot…_ and…” Her hands clasping her burning cheeks, she looks up and is relieved to find him grinning at her.

“I was definitely _surprised_ , but… I've had much worse wake up calls.”

She doesn’t know if anyone’s ever burst into flame from blushing before, but maybe this is it. “I uh. I thought I was dreaming.”

He laughs. “Well, I’m still not convinced I’m not!”

She grabs his hand, steering them back on track. “Ok seriously, _why_ though?”

“You’re so, _you_ —” he gestures with the hand she’s holding— “and I’m… just... ” he trails off with a shrug, smile fading.

“...You’re… _what?”_ she prompts. “Funny? and _sweet?"_ He's grinning awkwardly like he's about to protest, so she pushes on before he can. "And loyal? And, you humor me when I’m mopey, you _never_ lost faith in me, and the little ways you go out of your way to help everyone, don’t think I don’t notice that.”

He ducks his head, embarrassed. It’s adorable, she’s thrilled. Maybe she’ll keep complimenting him until the end of time. “Plus, just…” she gestures helplessly. “ _Look at you._ ”

 _That_ surprises a real laugh out of him, deep and full-bellied. “What—what does _that_ mean?” his voice rises absurdly.

 _“Jesus_ Max.” She’s laughing again too. “The way you _move_ , is just. It should be _illegal_ , honestly.”

“I mean,” Through his blush he's grinning at her in the most shit-eating way. “I've heard _that_ before, but it’s usually not complimentary.”

 _“Ughhh.”_ She shoves him. “You’re impossible.”

“Also a fairly common—”

 _“Maxwell!”_ With a stab of frustration, she grabs him by the shoulders. He stops laughing immediately. “What…” She deflates a little, letting her hands drop. “What do you think?”

“I… sorry, Riley.” He runs a hand through his hair, abashed. “I’m not very good at this sort of thing.”

“If you’d rather I didn’t say anything…”

“No—”

“We can just pretend this whole morning never happened.”

“No!” He spins back to her, alarmed. “I don’t want that.”

Hope flickers warmly inside her. “You don’t?”

“Riley, I… I’ve been trying to pretend it was nothing, but… I’ve felt the same for a while now.”

Months of uncertainty crumble away. “Really?”

“Yeah, I mean…” he gestures to her. “You’re amazing. I’ve never met anyone like you. This is…” and he gazes at her with a look so fond it’s a miracle she doesn’t melt into a puddle right there. “It’s unbelievable.”

She laughs, feeling giddy and reckless. It lasts until his next sentence.

“But… What about Liam?”

She looks back at the camp.

Because this has been what’s been holding her back. If they were just Maxwell and Riley, two regular attractive single people in New York, she would have made a move ages ago. Holding this all back has been so against her nature that right here, right now, is the most herself she’s felt in a while.

But things are so much more complicated now, things they’ll have to deal with.

And this is the first step.

Heart thudding, she looks back to him and takes a deep breath.

“I don’t want him.”


End file.
